take the heat

[S u N f r O s T ~]

LIMITED EDITION AND VALENCIA ANDREWS
INCOGNITO AND KYLIE SILVERSTAR
ADRASTEIA AND MEREDITH MAHON
COINCIDENCE AND HENNA TURATH

This was an odd set of horses. Valencia Andrews eyed the three juveniles as though eyeing a plate of food. She was on board Limited Edition. They had blazed to victory just last week over Anodyne. She felt on top of the world whenever she was riding the horse that was all her own and had been worth every penny. Ed in kind eyed the juveniles with blatant arrogance. He was a beautiful horse, all fully developed muscle and controlled power. He was four years old now, had complete control over his faculties and was a veteran champion. And this season could be his last. That brought a frown to Valencia's face, a quick glance down at her horse's chestnut neck. She was saying good bye to Italian Ice too. Saying good bye to glorious horses was tough. Even if the next generation would prove to be a good replacement.

A good replacement could very well be Incognito. He was piloted by the unlikely Kylie Silverstar who was proving to have her way with the blue bloods. Pandora's success showed enough of that. Nero had been fairly successful himself, breaking his maiden in the Unicorn Horn Juvenile Dirt and never falling far from the public eye. Kylie herself wished she could have less of the spotlight. More on the horse, less on her, Stride Of Perfection's newest apprentice jockey. She certainly knew how to ride, she wouldn't deny that, but she still thought seventy percent of the equation came from her horses. Nero was like her in that respect. He was ghost who flitted into reality for his workouts and races but otherwise stayed in the veil of shadow. He didn't like to draw attention, yet there it was. Kylie's soul was made of the same stuff. She felt that she had a measured understanding of her mount and where they could go next on their upward trajectory.

Adrasteia mirrored Incognito in record but not in personality. Meredith Mahon, eyes twinkling, sent a wave in Valencia's direction as her chestnut filly strode onto the scene, exuding absolute power and a purely dominating air. Valencia scowled and turned away, Ed kicking up a clod of dirt as he cantered. She wasn't going to stand around the older woman...the constant damned annoyance who would not leave her and her thoughts alone. Valencia's attitude sparkled a warm kind of fury from Meredith, who smirked and settled. Looks like Taia would be playing speed with the four year old today, as well as the black colt hiding in the background. There was just one member left of their entourage...Meredith's lip curled as she thought about him. The glorious Coincidence and her speed crazy rider would soon arrive.

The son of Oddside was indeed on her way. Winner of three out of four, he was not a horse to underestimate. Indeed, the dirt sprinter-miler was perhaps the best not only because of talent but because of smarts. Henna was on board for the speed, but Coincidence just knew how to outsmart his opponents. Tactics befitting a veteran rather than juvenile had characterized all of their races together. He was unbeaten at the mile distance and had learned the game well...well enough that Ed and Valencia really shouldn't be feeding the smug vibe into the air. Henna frowned at them, and Valencia, damn her, just smirked at them confidently. Coney was quiet now, brilliance in his eyes as he assessed his opponents. Taia simply refused to be anywhere near them. Ed showed off his muscle. Nero...was Nero. It was hard to tell if he was even awake.

Amber Black leaned against the rail and eyed her mounts, eyes glittering. Here were three fantastic dirt juveniles and her classic router star. She wanted them to work well...but together? Some would certainly object. Taia needed the track to herself. Nero could shadow Ed down the rail. And Coney...she wanted to see what the colt could do without some outside motivation. Instructions were quickly forthcoming. Each gets a four furlong work. I want Taia to breeze hers. Nero and Ed can breeze moving into a quicker pace for the final furlong. Coney, I want a hard effort the final quarter. I want to time it, see if we can feed the media something about us. Valencia laughed. The media certainly hadn't been getting a lot out of them lately.

Ed took to the floor first. The chestnut stallion sailed, powerful strides striking smoothly over the dirt. Nero flitted into existence alongside him, light as a ghost, poetry in motion, quiet Kylie in the irons. Neither horse was big on controlling the pace, but with no other choice Ed comfortably switched his tactics and took it. Flexibility was something they had needed to develop to deal with their varied competition. They floated through the half in twenty four easy and then picked it up as they approached the final furlong. The pace change was not unnoticed by Nero, but it was like he didn't even notice. It was almost too easy for him to extend his stride and keep up with Ed's pace. They finished the half in twenty three flat, a full second faster than the first, and Amber was pleased. She gave both jockeys the nod of the approval as they galloped out, heading for a cool out.

Then it was Taia's turn. Meredith caught Valencia's eye as she moved past on her chestnut filly, and her gaze was full of secrets. Valencia barely restrained herself from flipping the woman off as she went by. Meredith smirked and leaned forward. Taia took the slack like she was being shot out of a cannon, accelerating greedily over the open track in front of her. Meredith hunkered down and moderated the pace, letting Taia work hard but not too hard. Amber's breeze for a juvenile meant something like twenty-five second quarters. It had to be easy. Taia was not keen on going easy. The Radiance daughter relished work, relished pushing her limits. It was only grudgingly that they completed the full half in a shade under fifty, nearly forty nine flat. It had been a beautiful workout, easily done yet powerful. Exactly what the boss had ordered.

Now for Coney. The colt moved out like a soldier going to war, marching with bright eyes looking at the world around him. Without a horse around him to stoke his genius, Coney began his run by settling into a comfortable pace. He would do what was asked of him and no further. Any killer instinct he had was saved for races and competitive workouts. Being by himself...running lost some of its appeal. He enjoyed the beauty of it and saw no need to burn himself out. Henna sighed. Coney was brilliantly fast and perhaps the smartest horse on the roster...but it was time to push his work ethic. The brilliant juvenile needed to develop even more speed in order to stay on top. She asked for more and he responded, willingly. He certainly had no reservations about going fast. She pushed him through the pace and got forty seven and two fifths out of him, almost without the effort she wanted. She glanced to the side as Coney cooled out like a submarine surfacing after a long dive.

Amber's face was set in a small smile as she watched the future and the past parade in front of her. This was exactly what her dirt division needed to rise in success.